Shipping vessels, such as, for example, storage containers and/or the trailers or chassis used to move the storage containers may be transported in a number of different manners before reaching a desired location or destination. For example, the shipment of a storage container via rail may be referred to as Container on Flat Car (COFC), while rail transport of a container that is on a trailer, such as an over the road trailer, may be referred to as Trailer on Flat Car (TOFC). Moreover, certain types of storage containers, such as, for example, intermodal containers, as well as the trailers used to haul the containers on road, may be transported via multiple modes of transportation, including rail, truck, and/or ship, without the unloading and reloading of the contents of the storage containers. Further, shipping equipment, such as storage containers and/or trailers (referred to herein collectively as “shipping vessels”) may be transported by the same mode of transportation using different transportation vehicles, such as a shipping vessel traveling a portion of the way to its destination by being hauled or pulled by a truck, and be pulled or hauled another portion of the journey by another truck. Additionally, before, during, or after the shipping vessel reaches its desired location, the shipping vessel may be situated at least once at a storage facility with other shipping vessels, such as, for example, at a shipping port, railroad yard, and/or depot, among other storage locations.
Given the large number of shipping vessels that may be arriving, stored, and/or departing a storage facility, management of storage facilities may seek to maintain an accurate inventory of the shipping vessels at the storage facility. Often, at least some storage facilities maintain such inventory records by manual examination and/or identification of the shipping container(s) and their corresponding physical location at the facility. For example, an employee may travel by foot or in a vehicle around the storage facility and create or update an inventory record, such as, for example, recording an identification marker of the shipping container as well recording the location of the shipping container. In at least some instances, the employee may maintain, and update, an inventory record by manually writing on paper a shipping container identifier and the location of the shipping container. Other facilities may have the employee use a handheld or vehicle computer to record the identifier and location information, which may then be transmitted to a central inventory system.
However, the presence of employees traveling throughout the storage facility to gain information for inventory records may create a dangerous situation for the employees and a risk for the employer. More specifically, shipping vessels may continuously be entering, leaving, and otherwise moving around the storage facility. Further, given the size of at least some shipping vessels, the shipping vessels may be moved via a crane, such that shipping vessels may be moving above the heads of employees that are traveling around the storage facility. Additionally, in at least some instances, storage containers may be stacked on top of other storage containers to create relatively large piles of storage containers. A mishap, such as, for example, an equipment or machinery failure during the transport or storage of a shipping container at the storage location in the presence of an employee that is obtaining inventory information may have catastrophic consequences for the employee. Further, the presence of an employee taking such inventory information may create foot or vehicle traffic in the storage facility that may interfere with the efficient transport, storage and removal of shipping vessels in/from the storage facility.